Keeping proposals cost neutral: yes, just increase class sizes to 90+ and then just have tenure-track faculty teach the remaining courses. / sarcasm

The longer-term fix: in two steps.1. Philosophers need to accept that not getting a TT position is not failure . We need to stop the shame culture around this. It needs to start with graduate profesors .2. Philosophers need to develop employment skills during graduate school that translate into markets other than the professoriate. The most obvious of these are tracks lead to positions in university administration in some form.

Almost all the resistance I get to step 2 is a result of people who really don't want to accept step 1. Some 75% of Humanities PhDs don't ultimately get TT positions, and that makes the professoriate the alternative career path (Source). They are also, in general, happier than those of us inside the academy.

In response to Kenneth Pike, et. al: Things requiring reform in higher education include tenure track, the Ph.D. program, publish-or-perish. Decades agp a mewspaper article revealed a Congressional investigation into Ph.D. programs, and I believe there was a debate that grad schools may not drop students having passed the first few courses. A professor has done a Chronicle of Higher Ed piece, that success in TT is often due correct hiring, hiring the correct person. Michael M. Kazanjian

A new legislative session just began in Massachusetts. The Planned Parenthood Advocacy Fund and its partners are fighting tirelessly for two proactive policies: theROE Act, to protect and expand abortion access, and the Healthy Youth Act, to improve the state of LGBTQ-inclusive sex education. Searchingforreason.N, we need to demonstrate to the Massachusetts Legislature what you and I already know – the vast majority of Massachusetts residents support safe, legal abortion and comprehensive sex education.

Massachusetts has long been a leader in personal freedom, equality, and health care. But, the reality is, under our current laws, entrenched, unjust barriers to abortion persist and medically inaccurate, abstinence-only sex education programs run rampant in our state. Now, as the Trump-Pence administration doubles down on dangerous attacks on our health and rights, Massachusetts must seize this opportunity to blaze a path forward. We can do this by ensuring every person in our state has access to the health care and information they need to control their health, their body, and their life’s path.

Tuesday, January 29, 2019

Launched in May 2017, PHILOSOPHY WITHOUT BORDERS, aka PWB, is an online mega-project for creating and sharing EIGHT different kinds of original philosophy, all of them freely available to anyone, anywhere, world-wide.

We’re reaching out to academic philosophers and independent philosophers, and to other critically thoughtful, insightful, reflective people, everywhere.

Monday, January 28, 2019

In just a few moments, I’m heading to the rally in my hometown of Oakland to formally kick off our campaign for president. I wanted to share some themes from the speech I’ll deliver today.

But first, let me take this moment to share a genuine message of thanks. I’m grateful to have you by my side as we take on this historic challenge. None of this could be possible without you and the tens of thousands of other people across the country who are stepping up to join me in this fight.

I’m so proud to be a daughter of Oakland. My parents met as graduate students at UC Berkeley, where they were active in the civil rights movement.

They were born half a world apart from each other. My father, Donald, came from Jamaica to study economics. My mother, Shyamala, came from India to study the science of fighting disease. My parents came here in pursuit of more than just knowledge. Like so many others, they came in pursuit of a dream -- for themselves, for me, and for my sister Maya.

We were raised by a community with a deep belief in the promise of our country -- and a deep understanding of the parts of that promise that still remain unfulfilled. We were taught to see a world beyond just ourselves. To be conscious and compassionate about the struggles of ALL people. We were raised to believe public service is noble and the fight for justice is everyone’s responsibility. That, in many ways, formed my life.

That’s why I’m running for president: I love our country, and I feel a deep sense of responsibility to stand up and fight for the best of who we are and what our country can be.

I’m ready to fight for the values we as Americans hold sacred and dear. And I’m ready to fight because we deserve leadership that will focus on the needs of the people of this country, not their own self-interests. Together, we will put forth a vision of the future of our country in which everyone can see themselves. And I believe ours is a winning fight.

This won’t be easy -- but nothing worth fighting for ever is. We face tough days and hard work ahead. But this is our America -- and it’s up to each and every one of us to fight for our future.

The 2019 Pacific Division meeting will be held April 17–20 at the Westin Bayshore in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

Meeting Registration

Online registration is now open! You will be able to register online at the early bird rates until April 3 at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time. Please note that online registration will be available only until April 3. After that date, online registration will no longer be available, but you will still be able to register at the registration desk on-site at the meeting.

The early bird registration rates are $50 less for all categories than the on-site registration rates. To register at the member rates, you must be signed in.

Go green! You’ll save an additional $5 on meeting registration if you choose not to receive a paper copy of the program. Our free meeting app for smartphones and tablets will contain the full program. Those who go paperless will have the option to purchase a program for $5 at the registration desk, but quantities will be limited.

While we understand that you have a choice of hotels, we do urge you to book at the conference hotel. Filling up our rooms gets us meeting space and the hotel rebates us 6% of bookings revenue. We use this to fund graduate student travel. Support the meeting and support students by staying in the conference hotel.

For information about the 2019 Pacific Division meeting, please visit the meeting page. All meeting-related inquiries should be submitted via the relevant meeting contact form(s).

The program and executive committees extend a cordial invitation to all APA members to come and take part in the 2019 Pacific Division meeting.

We are living in a truly unprecedented moment in history and the actions we take now, together, will determine not only the future of our country but the entire world. If there has ever been a time in American history when our people must stand together in the fight for economic, social, racial and environmental justice - now is that time.

The bad news is that we have a president who is a fraud, a pathological liar and a racist. The good news is that the American people are standing up, fighting back and are demanding fundamental changes in our economic and political system.

The bad news is that we have a president who just shut down the government for 35 days because he couldn't get an expensive and unneeded wall with Mexico, while 800,000 federal employees tried to survive without paychecks.

The good news is that federal workers and their unions fought back and, with the airline industry facing growing delays because of worker sickouts, the president relented and reopened the government.

The bad news is that the scientific community is telling us that climate change is the greatest global crisis facing the planet, while we have a president and Republican leadership who are working overtime for more deregulation of the fossil fuel industry - and even more carbon emissions.

The good news is that at the grassroots level, here and around the world, more and more people, led by the younger generation, understand that we need bold initiatives to transform our energy system away from fossil fuels and into energy efficiency and sustainable energy.

The bad news is that at a time of massive wealth and income inequality, when the 3 wealthiest Americans own more wealth than the bottom half of our country and 46% of all new income is going to the top 1%, we have a president and Republican leadership who want even more tax breaks for billionaires.

The good news is that poll after poll shows that the American people want the wealthiest people in this country and the largest profitable corporations to start paying their fair share of taxes. They understand that instead of giving tax breaks to billionaires we should be rebuilding our crumbling infrastructure and investing in health care and education.

The bad news is that the middle class continues to shrink and millions of Americans today are working for starvation wages. Many of them are forced to work two or three jobs just to survive and receive little or no family leave or vacation time.

The good news is that in state after state, community after community, legislation is being passed guaranteeing a living wage to all workers of $15 an hour. It is very likely that a $15 per hour minimum wage bill will be passed by the U.S. House of Representatives this session. My Senate bill for a $15 minimum wage now has 31 co-sponsors.

The bad news is that we have a corrupt political system that allows billionaires to spend unlimited sums of money to elect candidates who represent their interests. We also see widespread voter suppression and extreme gerrymandering.

The good news is that there is overwhelming support to overturn the disastrous Citizens United Supreme Court decision, and good progress is being made to strengthen our democracy. In the last election, voter turnout soared and young people participated in record-breaking numbers. In Florida, as a result of a citizen referendum, 1.4 million people who served time for a felony conviction will have their voting rights restored.

The bad news is that, tragically, institutional racism continues to remain strong in the United States. The already large wealth gap between whites and blacks is growing wider. There is a massive level of racial disparity in terms of health care, education, housing, social mobility and access to capital.

The good news is that the younger generation today, the future of our country, is the least racist in our history and is prepared to fight for racial justice. Further, we are seeing more and more people of color running for office - from school board to Congress - and many of them are winning. They, and all of us, will do everything possible to end the scourge of racism in the United States.

The bad news is that we have a dysfunctional health care system which leaves 30 million Americans uninsured, even more underinsured and costs far more per capita than any other country on earth. We are also forced to pay, by far, the highest prices in the world for prescription drugs.

The good news is that the American people now overwhelmingly support a Medicare for all, single payer program which guarantees health care to all Americans as a right, not a privilege, Medicare for all will also expand benefits for seniors by including dental care, audiology and optical care.

The bad news is that hundreds of thousands of young people are unable to afford to go to college, and millions more are leaving school deeply in debt.

The good news is that cities and states across the country are moving to provide free tuition at public colleges and universities, and there is widespread support for that idea. In a highly competitive global economy the American people know that we must have the best educated workforce in the world.

The bad news is that there is now a massive, well coordinated attack against women's rights. In many states it is increasingly difficult for women to exercise their constitutional right for an abortion, or to even receive the birth control they need. Pay inequality remains prevalent, as does sexual harassment on the job.

The good news is that there is widespread opposition in this country to repealing Roe v. Wade, and the newly elected Congress is strongly pro-choice. Further, as a result of the effort of the women's movement, in workplaces both large and small there are now new policies in place to protect a woman's right to do her job without discrimination or harassment.

The bad news is that we have a criminal justice system in this country which is severely broken. We have more people in jail than any other country on earth – disproportionately African-American, Latino and Native American. Unbelievably, hundreds of thousands of Americans are in prison right now simply because they cannot afford cash bail.

The good news is that millions of Americans, including some conservatives, are coming together in the fight against mass incarceration, mandated minimum sentencing, the cash bail system, police brutality and the failed war on drugs. At long last, there are now district attorneys and prosecutors who want to reduce the prison population, not increase it. Americans increasingly understand that we should invest in jobs and education, not more jails and incarceration.

The bad news is that we have a demagogic president who is targeting undocumented immigrants in a racist manner for cheap political gain. This is a president who ended the DACA program and has authorized the separation of tiny children at the border from their mothers.

The good news is that the American people have consistently made clear their desire to see the restoration of DACA and comprehensive immigration reform and a path toward citizenship for the more than 10 million undocumented people in this country.

Let me conclude by thanking all of you for standing with me in the fight for justice. We should all be extremely proud that over the last few years, on issue after issue, we have made enormous progress in advancing the progressive agenda. Ideas that just a few years ago were considered "radical" or "extreme" are now supported by a strong majority of Americans.

In these very difficult times, despair is not an option. For the sake of our kids and grandchildren, the struggle must continue. Black, white, Latino, Asian-American, Native-American, male or female, gay or straight, let us proudly stand together and create the kind of country we know we can become.

Saturday, January 26, 2019

I am so proud of the impact the Clinton Foundation has made. When I ran for president, this top-rated global charity was dragged into a political mud fight. In the two years since, people with an axe to grind have continued to try to undermine its work by attacking them and making false accusations. But the Foundation has continued to help people across America and around the world, undeterred by these baseless assaults.

I’m inspired by this steadfast dedication to improve lives. There are real issues in society needing attention that the people of the Clinton Foundation work hard to solve every day. Despite the attacks, they are staying focused on what really matters.

For the past 18 years, the Clinton Foundation has dramatically and demonstrably helped millions of people around the world by working with partners to improve lives, from making HIV/AIDS treatment available across the developing world and helping children in America’s schools get healthier meals to working with faith leaders across America to help stem the scourge of opioid abuse.

Today, the Foundation’s work continues to improve lives by working with partners and providing programs that create economic opportunity, improve public health, and inspire civic engagement and service.

Next week, I will have the opportunity to join Bill and more than 500 partners from business, government, and the philanthropic community as we convene in Puerto Rico for the CGI Action Network on Post-Disaster Recovery. Together, we are helping Puerto Rico and communities across the Caribbean to build back better after the devastating 2017 hurricanes; we’re providing resources, practical solutions, and technical assistance that is making a real difference.

Making a difference in people’s lives takes hard work, leadership, and resources. Now more than ever, we need your support to help the Clinton Foundation continue its impact. Join us and together we can continue to help change lives.

Friday, January 25, 2019

“AG Herring warns Virginia of scams targeting those impacted by the shutdown”

– WRIC News

Dear David,

As President Trump’s senseless shutdown drags on, it puts furloughed federal workers, including tens of thousands here in Virginia, at risk of being scammed or falling victim to a predatory loan. Even caring Virginians trying to donate to charities supporting furloughed workers could be at risk.

There are unscrupulous criminals out there who will try to take advantage of furloughed workers and sympathetic donors with fake job offers, scam charities or phony interviews. They might even try to solicit donations that line their own pockets. So keep your guard up, and contact my Consumer Protection Section at the OAG if you encounter anything suspicious.

Several localities with large numbers of federal workers, especially in Northern Virginia, have created dedicated websites to connect federal workers with support and resources:

Thursday, January 24, 2019

The following was taken from then President Barack Obamas 2015 SOTUS, with my commentary included. What do you think we could learn from it, that would help end the Current Government Shutdown?

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Having Listened to President Obamas STOTUS, and read the Full Transcript, to me the MOST IMPORTANT WORDS COME NEAR THE END.

Don't get me wrong, the POLICIES and ISSUES he Discusses are Very Important, and I will look at these in the Near Future.

Unfortunately, if the Attitudes Toward Properly Addressing Divisive Topics doesn't change, it will be an uphill battle to Find and Pass Solutions that are in the Best Interests OF THE PEOPLE LIVING, WORKING, AND RAISING FAMILIES IN THE U.S.

Translation- "You're not Always Right, and Neither am I. Lets find Common Ground and Work from there. The "IT'S MY WAY OR NOTHING ATTITUDE, IS THE ROAD TO FAILURE."

Line #2-

"A better politics is one where we appeal to each other's basic decency instead of our basest fears."

Translation- "If we Live in the Gutter, nothing gets accomplished, and Failure, Distrust, and Enmity is the Result. IF WE LOOK FOR THE GOOD, INSTEAD OF PROMOTING IRRATIONAL HATE AND FEAR AS AN AGENDA, THE RESULT WOULD BE SOMETHING WE WOULD ALL BE PROUD OF."

Line #3- "A better politics is one where we debate without demonizing each other; where we talk issues, and values, and principles, and facts, rather than "gotcha" moments, or trivial gaffes, or fake controversies that have nothing to do with people's daily lives."

Translation- "As Lawmakers, and Elected Representatives of the American People, OUR JOB IS TO PRIORITIZE REAL ISSUES THAT AFFECT PEOPLES LIVES, NOW AND IN THE FUTURE. THE ETHICAL AND PRACTICAL APPROACH IS THE BEST SOLUTION, NOT IMMATURE INSULTS AND GLIB ONE LINERS THAT DO NOTHING TO ADDRESS REAL PROBLEMS. CONCENTRATING ON NON- ISSUES IS JUST ANOTHER FORM OF 'POLITICAL GRANDSTANDING', AND A CONTINUATION OF THE TYPICAL 'POLITICS AS USUAL' BRAND OF GOVERNMENT THAT SO MANY AMERICANS DESPISE.''

Wednesday, January 23, 2019

The APA is pleased to announce that several student applications are open for 2019 summer diversity institutes in philosophy.

Diversity institutes give young philosophers the support and information they need to pursue a successful and meaningful career studying philosophy. The institutes were founded to address a lack of diverse representation in academic philosophy and thus focus on preparing women, people of color, LGBTQ+ folks, people with disabilities, first-generation students, and other diverse scholars for graduate study in philosophy.

PIKSI Rock at Penn State will occur June 17–29, 2019, and PIKSI Boston at MIT will occur June 20–27, 2019. Both institutes share a student application, found on the PIKSI application page. Applications are due for both PIKSIs on January 31, 2019.

Diversity institutes offer a unique and supportive educational experience. In an APA survey sent to diversity institute alumni, two anonymous respondents shared these positive remarks:

“PIKSI made me see that there are many people actively working on improving the state of the profession, and that I was not alone in recognizing that there are huge problems that need to be addressed. PIKSI also helped me foster relationships with successful people in the field (both graduate students and faculty), which has helped me several times throughout my own application and graduate school experiences.”

“These institutes are real treasures. I wouldn't be in graduate school if it wasn't for them, and I wouldn't be as successful as I have been in graduate school if it wasn't for them.”

Democrats: Don't compromise with Trump's extremism.

Donald Trump is a hostage-taker, and Democrats must refuse to pay him any ransom.

Yesterday, Trump announced a plan for ending his government shutdown: give temporary protection to Dreamers and TPS holders in exchange for more ICE agents and billions for his border wall.

From Democrats, there can be only one answer: No.

Tell Democrats: Don't rescue Trump from his shutdown by compromising on his racist immigration agenda.

This is Trump's shutdown. He created the border crisis to sanction attacks on immigrants and coerce the public and Congress into backing his border wall and his extremist immigration agenda more broadly. But the shutdown isn't the only crisis Trump has manufactured to try to get his way, and federal workers aren't the only ones he's thrown under the bus to try to to achieve his racist goals.

He also ended DACA, creating a crisis for more than 700,000 Dreamers whose parents brought them to the United States as children and were granted the ability to work and be safe in the country they call home. And he created a crisis for hundreds of thousands of immigrants from countries shattered by wars, natural disasters and other humanitarian crises by taking away their Temporary Protected Status.

Yesterday, Trump offered relief to federal workers, Dreamers and TPS holders in exchange for billions for his border wall and thousands more deportation agents. Democrats must take a clear stance now: People aren't bargaining chips and we won't compromise when it comes to Trump's anti-immigrant agenda.

To protect our immigrant neighbors, friends and family members, we need to make sure Democrats continue to hold the line and refuse to cave to Trump's threats and hostage taking. Speak out now to make sure they keep standing strong.Sign the petition to tell Democrats: Don't give an inch. No compromises with Trump's racism.

Trump's extremism

87%

We've reached 65,380 of our goal of 75,000.

Sign the petition

Petition to Democrats:

"People are not bargaining chips. Don't give an inch when it comes to Trump's shutdown. Refuse to trade Dreamers and TPS holders for Trump's wall and the expansion of ICE and CBP."